


In Deep Water

by ThisIsLitaE



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Barisi - Freeform, Emotional, Hurt Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr., Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Kissing, Leg Rubs, Love at First Sight, M/M, Massage, Mermaids, Merman Carisi, Protectiveness, Rafael Barba Sings, Sweet/Hot, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26892322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsLitaE/pseuds/ThisIsLitaE
Summary: A kidnapping case has Rafael Barba meeting with a particularly special victim. Sonny Carisi is a handsome merman who is fascinated by human legs and loves Rafael’s singing voice. Professional lines are crossed when the ADA finds himself opening his heart to the curious creature.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 38
Collections: Barisi Creatures Bingo





	In Deep Water

**Author's Note:**

> I have to say that I never expected to write a mermaid/merman fic. But when this idea came for the Barisi Creatures Challenge, I had to develop it. While out of my comfort zone, I'm really happy with how this turned out. Although, it may be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for some.  
> Enjoy!

Rafael stepped out of the Uber and stared at the drab blue building, trying to guess what awaited him inside. He walked up to the police tape marking a wide barrier around the entrance. As usual, a crowd of onlookers had gathered to try and catch something on their phone cameras. The ADA rolled his eyes at the vultures. He would have much preferred to conduct interviews at the SVU precinct or his office. But Olivia had insisted that the victims in question could not be moved.

The whole phone call had been rather cryptic, a fact that made Rafael a little nervous. The only real piece of information he received was that three sisters and their brother had been held captive for six months. Apparently it was all supposed to become clear when he got there. If Olivia Benson, with her years of experience in SVU, couldn’t explain a situation clearly then it was bound to be a shocker. Rafael hoped he wasn’t walking into a blood bath or something equally disturbing.

He accosted one of the police officers standing guard, explaining who he was. The cop spoke into a walkie talkie to check that Rafael was allowed to go inside. Olivia’s voice came through, advising to let the ADA into the building. Rafael was curious as to why the SVU leader didn’t come out to greet him personally.

Upon entering, he was surprised to find the building was pleasantly decorated. The door guard directed him down a hallway. Rafael followed the directions and found himself in what appeared to be a ballroom. Tables and chairs were set up, facing towards a large fish tank. It was like a dinner theatre and aquarium rolled into one.

“Rafael, this way!”

Rafael spotted Olivia on the other side of the room, waving him over. The first thing he noticed was that the sergeant was not in her regular work clothes, but a wet suit. Olivia’s wet hair indicated that she had been swimming as part of the investigation.

“I’m going to need an explanation for this,” Rafael said, gesturing at Olivia’s attire. He hoped that he wasn’t supposed to get in the water.

“Sorry about all the secrecy. The less people that know about this, the better,” Olivia appeared flustered as she led Rafael through another door.

“I take it the wetsuit is the part of the reason why the victims couldn’t come to the precinct,” Rafael guessed. He wondered if the kidnappers had found a way to trap the four siblings under water. It would certainly prevent attempts to escape.

“They have to stay where they are, for now. Even if they could be moved, there is no way to do it discreetly.” Olivia paused before continuing, as though she still didn’t believe it. “The Carisi siblings…they’re mermaids. Or mer-people, I should say.”

Rafael was familiar with people in captivity finding ways to mentally escape in order to cope. Although, victims believing themselves to be mermaids was a new one for him. It was hard to fathom what torment provoked such a delusion. He figured it had something to do with the aquarium like tank he passed in the ballroom.

“In that case they’ll need thorough psych evals before taking the stand. We’ll need one of them to -”

“Rafael, we’re not talking about delusions here,” Olivia cut in. “The Carisi siblings are actual real mer-people. With tails and everything.”

Rafael let out a breath and his jaw remained dropped. He wanted to laugh at the unbelievable development, but Olivia’s expression contained no trace of lies or mirth. “You’re serious?”

“I didn’t believe it at first but you’ll see. When the press get wind of this, they won’t be left alone. It’s going to be all over the news.” Olivia’s voice had gone soft, filled with her trademark empathy. If there was someone in need, mythical creature included, she’d do whatever she could. “They’ve been taken from their home so rich people can gawk at them. God knows what else went on behind the scenes. We have to help them while we can.”

Rafael still didn’t quite believe the story but he had to help the victims, whatever they were. “What do you need me to do?”

“I need you to talk to the brother, Dominick. He seemed relatively unharmed when I spoke to him but I have my hands full with the sisters. Plus, maybe he’ll open up more with another man,” Olivia explained, leading him over to a rack of wetsuits. “You might want to put one of these on.”

Rafael nervously ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not that comfortable going in the water. What about Amaro or Finn?”

“They’re dealing with other cases and you’re already here,” Olivia replied, holding out a wetsuit for Rafael. “There is no-one else I trust to handle this. It has to be you.”

With a sigh and an eye roll, Rafael relented. “Fine, but I’m not getting in the water.”

“You don’t have to but you’ll still end up with wet clothes.”

Rafael followed Olivia to where Dominick was being kept. On the way, the ADA caught snippets of a conversation by some crime scene investigators. The two men were joking about Dominick, specifically the lack of traditional human genitalia. There was also a rather crude remark about one of the sisters, Bella. Rafael felt his blood boil at the talk. He wondered how many others on the scene had made comments of that nature.

Unable to remain silent, Rafael snapped at the two investigators, “Those are victims of kidnapping you’re talking about. Show a little respect!”

“Now you know what I’ve been dealing with all morning,” Olivia said with a shake of her head. She gestured to a green door. “Dominick is in there. If you need me or have any issues, I’m right next door.” Olivia pointed out another green door, where the sisters were housed.

“Why can’t these people just enjoy a good musical like the rest of us,” Rafael quipped as he left Olivia to meet with the merman himself.

Opening the door, Rafael ascended the stairs that led to the pool. The platform he ended up on reminded him of a seal habitat at the zoo, fake rocks and all. It was hard to believe a person, of sorts anyway, could live in such conditions. He looked out to the water, seeing the ripples indicating movement below the surface. There was a chair that Rafael presumed was for him. He moved it a little further back from the pool to avoid splashback on his suit.

Just as he was about to sit down, something breached the water’s surface. Rafael turned to find a pair of ice blue eyes studying him curiously. His breath hitched at the sight. He hadn’t expected Dominick Carisi to be quite so handsome. The small smile that came to the man’s face seconds later only amplified his attractiveness. Noticing the naked shoulders, Rafael realised that Dominick was topless. Against better judgement, he found himself thinking about what lay beneath the water surface.

“Hello,” the man greeted as he swam over to the platform.

Rafael shook the unprofessional thoughts from his mind. “You must be Dominick. My name is Rafael Barba. I’m with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.”

“Call me Sonny,” the man replied, lifting himself up out of the water.

As Sonny leaned back against one of the rocks, Rafael was at a rare loss for words. All niggling doubt about the existence of mermen disappeared as he stared at Sonny’s shimmering silver tail. His gaze travelled up the length of the tail, taking it all in. Just above Sonny’s hips, scales faded out into gorgeous creamy skin. Rafael swallowed as his eyes scanned along the skinny yet toned body before him.

“So, you’re Olivia’s friend. She said you were coming to help me and my sisters,” Sonny enquired, bringing Rafael back to the reality of the situation.

“We want to make sure the people who did this to you are put away. We need at least one of you to tell your story to a jury to help with that.” It suddenly occurred to Rafael that Sonny likely had no idea about the New York legal system. He tried to simplify things. “I’ll ask you some questions and you tell me about what happened to you. Can you do that?”

Rafael felt a twinge of guilt as Sonny’s face fell. He knew that victims hated recounting their story over and over. Many hated Rafael for making them relive traumatic events. However, it was a necessary evil to ensure bad people were convicted for their crimes. He could imagine it being worse for Sonny, given his unique situation. There was every chance a federal department was going to take over the case and make him tell the story to another group of people.

The ADA listened intently as Sonny spoke about his experiences. The merman explained how he and his sisters had been captured by a big machine. They tried to escape but they were trapped. Some humans kept hurting them with a magic stick, which Rafael assumed to be some kind of stun gun or cattle prod. Thinking of Sonny going through that made him feel sick.

Rafael asked about the building they were in. Sonny told him how they swam around and danced while humans watched them. He used to be housed with his sisters in the other room. They separated Sonny when he tried to fight off a human who was touching Gina. There was a window between the tanks where the siblings could talk to each other, so he wasn’t completely alone. The merman just felt bad that he couldn’t help his sisters.

“Theresa used to sing to us, to make us feel better. She’s always had the nicest voice in our family. But then the humans hurt her because of it. They said mermaid songs are used to trick humans and drown them,” Sonny said, his voice filled with sadness. “They’re not, Rafael, I promise.”

“I believe you, Sonny,” Rafael replied, unable to prevent a quiver in voice. Desperate to make the merman feel better, he decided to change the subject slightly. “In fact, I like to sing when I’m at home. And I like to hear other people sing, too.”

Sonny looked up to meet Rafael’s eyes for a brief moment. His gaze then fell to Rafael’s legs. The ADA watched the merman for a moment, allowing them both a quick breather. From his pocket, Rafael’s phone chimed to indicate a phone call. Seeing it was Carmen, he thought it best to answer. However, he deemed Sonny the priority at that moment and switched off his phone entirely.

As he was putting his phone back, Rafael suddenly felt a wet hand on his leg. He jumped off the chair and cried out when it squeezed his calf. Looking down, he found a shocked Sonny staring up at him. Eyes wide with fear, the merman began shuffling back into the water.

“I’m sorry. I’m not going to hurt you,” Sonny said. Once in the water, he held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll just stay in the water.”

Rafael studied the water stain on his grey suit pants. He shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to make sense of the odd moment. Sonny had been kept relatively isolated for months, so some kind of faux pas was only natural. Factoring in that Sonny had a tail, Rafael deduced that the merman probably found human legs peculiar.

Rafael knelt down on the wet platform to meet Sonny’s eye line and reassure him. “It’s okay, Sonny. You just have to ask before touching humans. You surprised me, that’s all.”

The merman was still wary, remaining in the middle of the pool. Rafael hated the look on Sonny’s handsome face, as though he was waiting for punishment. It bothered him more than he cared to admit. He thought of one way to gain back trust. Rafael wasn’t the best swimmer, but he had to get in the water for Sonny. Given his suit pants were likely ruined, putting on a wetsuit didn’t seem so bad.

“I’ll be right back.”

Rafael kept his attention on Sonny as he walked towards the stairs. He hoped that meeting the merman on his territory would work. Upon reaching the door, he paused to rethink his strategy. Instead of heading outside to grab a wetsuit, Rafael locked the door to avoid any unexpected visitors.

Looking at his dirty suit pants, Rafael unhooked his suspenders and began to remove them. Unable to believe what he was about to do, the ADA stripped down to his underwear. If he was to expect Sonny to be vulnerable with him, he would have to return the favour. Plus, the thought of struggling into a wetsuit was not appealing in the slightest.

Placing his clothes in a splash free zone behind the biggest rock, Rafael took a deep breath. He hadn’t felt so exposed in such a long time. No-one, let alone an attractive man, had been privy to his bare body in months. But for some reason, Rafael felt safe with Sonny. He actually wanted the merman to see him without his daily armour.

Rafael stepped out onto the platform, revealing his practically naked form. He slowly made his way to the edge of the pool. Sonny was clearly in awe of Rafael’s bare legs and soft body. While the merman made no attempt to move closer, his eyes remained transfixed on the ADA. Rafael liked the way Sonny looked at him. Somehow a mythical creature was admiring him like he was the most amazing sight in the world.

Rafael took a seat on the edge of the pool and dipped his feet into the water. It was colder than anticipated but tolerable if it meant getting Sonny to trust him again. He kept looking into the ice blue eyes, willing the merman to swim closer. Despite his clear fascination, Sonny continued to remain cautious.

Thinking back to their conversation, Rafael had an idea. He hadn’t sung outside of his apartment for years but people had complimented his voice before. The least he could do was provide Sonny with something comforting that had been cruelly snatched from him. Picking out part of a Sondheim song with lyrics about protection, Rafael began to sing.

“Nothing’s gonna harm you, not while I’m around…”

Singing to Sonny made him feel emotional. He didn’t take his eyes off the merman, making sure all the words were understood. When Sonny’s face lit up, Rafael found himself blinking away some rogue tears. The more he sang, the closer Sonny swam to him. Soon the merman was back at the platform, close enough for Rafael to touch. The whole situation was stirring up feelings that Rafael didn’t know he could feel anymore. He faded out the song, hearing his heart pounding in the silence that followed.

“You’re beautiful, Rafael, did you know that?” Sonny whispered, beyond mesmerised by the ADA.

Rafael felt genuinely touched by Sonny’s words, managing to hold back a sob. “Not until right this second.”

Rafael felt a hand on his arm. The touch of Sonny’s skin against his own sent a buzz of electricity through him. He turned towards the other man, who immediately pulled the hand away with a sheepish grin. Rafael’s arm still tingled, even though the touch was gone.

He placed his hand on Sonny’s shoulder. “It’s okay.”

Sonny seemed nervous as he lingered a hand over Rafael’s knee. “Can I touch you here?”

Rafael knew the path he was treading crossed all professional lines, but there was no turning back. He wanted to indulge Sonny’s interest, and his own. Rafael stretched out his leg and gave Sonny a nod. The merman began petting along the knee with tender hands, providing a small squeeze. Sonny rubbed down the length of Rafael’s shin, studying the bronze skin and leg hairs. Rafael felt warmth spread throughout his body at being touched so intimately. An involuntary moan came out as Sonny caressed his calf muscle.

“Did I hurt you?” Sonny asked, removing his hands in a panic.

“Not at all,” Rafael told him. “What you’re doing feels really nice.”

Sonny smiled, almost proudly, and went back to discovering Rafael’s leg. The pleasant rubbing continued down to the ankle, coaxing a few soft hums from the ADA. Sonny began to pet the top of Rafael’s foot, eyeing the toes with curiosity. The merman pinched the big toe before running a finger back and forth across all of them. Rafael curled up his toes and let out a giggle.

“A lot of humans are ticklish there,” Rafael advised an amused Sonny. “Just be gentle.”

“We don’t have tickle spots on our tail fins. For me, it’s just under the arms,” Sonny explained, running his fingers over the bottom of Rafael’s twitching foot.

Rafael nudged Sonny with his other foot, gliding it up the merman’s arm. A surprised Sonny grabbed the ankle, as though to stop the foot from getting away. He resumed his exploring, unable to resist tickling the toes once more. Rafael was becoming enamoured, watching Sonny and savouring his touch. His body tingled as Sonny massaged his leg once again. The ADA was in bliss. Moans were released as sturdy hands rubbed up his shin, squeezed his calf and ventured over his knee. Sonny tested a light caress of Rafael’s lower thigh. As much as he wanted to go further, Rafael placed a hand on top of Sonny’s to stop him.

Sonny took the hand, tugging it suggestively. “Come into the water with me.”

Rafael was hesitant to hop in for a number of reasons. He wasn’t the best swimmer, for one. While he could keep his head above water, the ADA had not had the luxury of swimming lessons when he grew up. Rafael also knew what was sure to happen if he slipped into the pool. He was barely holding back from Sonny after the leg rub.

“I’ve got you, Rafael,” Sonny said, taking both of Rafael’s hands in his own. “Come on. You keep me safe so I keep you safe. Deal?”

Sonny opened up his arms, gesturing for Rafael to get in the pool. Rafael shuffled closer to the edge, water lapping further up his thighs as he went. Just as he thought about pulling back, Sonny took Rafael’s waist and eased him in. When he was chest deep in the pool, Rafael nervously tried to tread water. Sonny’s hands remained on his waist, keeping him afloat and helping him relax.

“I’ve got you, Rafi,” Sonny repeated.

The merman’s arms slid completely around Rafael’s body. The familiar warmth filled Rafael as Sonny held him. Rafael returned the embrace, sliding his arms around Sonny’s shoulders. Their naked midsections pressed together and their faces were closer than ever. Rafael could feel Sonny’s breath brushing against his lips.

“Can I kiss you here?” Sonny asked, inching in so his lips hovered over Rafael’s.

Rafael leaned in and kissed Sonny, feeling an indescribable rush the moment their lips met. He started off with pecks against Sonny’s top lip, before taking the bottom one and lightly sucking. A mewling noise escaped Sonny as he pulled Rafael even tighter against him. The kiss intensified, with Rafael opening his mouth for the merman. Their tongues met in a frenzy as they tasted each other. Rafael let out a lustful groan into Sonny’s mouth.

Even when they parted, Rafael couldn’t stop kissing the merman. His lips trailed down to Sonny’s smooth neck. He danced his tongue across the skin, coaxing a gasp from Sonny in response. Rafael resisted the urge to mark the neck, continuing to simply kiss and nuzzle. Moving to Sonny’s ear, he gave the lobe a nip.

Sonny played with Rafael’s wet hair, his fingers teasing against the scalp. “I like you, Rafi.”

Rafael beamed at the declaration. He didn’t even mind the cutesy nickname. “I like you, too, Sonny.”

The two kept each other close, practically dancing in the water. Sonny began peppering kisses all over Rafael’s face, enjoying the chuckles that resulted. Against all odds, Rafael found himself not wanting to leave the water. As Sonny claimed another sweet kiss from his lips, Rafael hoped there was some way he could stay with the merman.

As though hearing the unspoken thoughts, Sonny asked, “What’s going to happen to me?”

Rafael wished that he had a definite answer to that question. The most logical was that the mer-people would be taken back to their home, wherever that was. However, proof of their existence was sure to lead to more kidnappings of their kind. Rafael wondered just how many of the creatures were being kept in captivity that they didn’t know about.

When Rafael was hesitant to answer, Sonny swam them both over to the platform. He lifted Rafael out of the water, seating him on the edge. Sonny hopped out and took a seat next to him, snuggling against the ADA. He brought his tail across so it rested on Rafael’s lap.

With a smile, Rafael began stroking Sonny’s silver tail. It was scaly to the touch, as expected, but not entirely unappealing. It was then Rafael saw the previously unnoticed marks of rusty discolouration along the tail. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he realised they were likely marks where Sonny had been shocked, whipped or otherwise punished. How someone could hurt such a beautiful creature was beyond comprehension. The mere thought had Rafael tightening his arm around Sonny and kissing his temple.

“We’ll try and get you and your sisters back home as soon as we can,” Rafael told Sonny, running his fingers up and down the merman’s spine.

Sonny let out a soft sigh, his expression full of vulnerability. “What if I want to stay with you?”

“We’ll have to see,” was all Rafael could say in response. At that moment, he had Sonny safe in his arms. He wanted to cherish that as long as possible.

Sonny began petting Rafael’s chest hair and pressed another kiss to his lips. “Can you sing for me?”

Rafael nodded and began crooning a Spanish song about love. He couldn’t tell if Sonny understood the words, but the merman seemed comforted regardless. It was hard to predict what was going to happen but Rafael made a vow to protect Sonny. What they had created between them was rare and worth hanging on to. If there was a way that the human and merman could stay together, Rafael was determined to find it.

**Author's Note:**

> *Barisi Creatures Challenge - MERMAID/MERMAN  
> *Looks like I'll go for bingo if I can write my Demon idea and think of a werewolf one - haha.  
> *The song Rafael sings is from Sweeney Todd  
> *I couldn't resist sneaking a ticklish Barba moment. It was too cute.  
> *As always, comments and kudos are much appreciated!


End file.
